As an international student dreaming of attending MIT, I'd love to know if there are any full scholarship opportunities. What are the eligibility requirements, and how competitive is it to receive one?
MIT is known for its commitment to providing substantial financial aid to its students, which does include international students. The institute practices "need-blind" admissions for all students including international ones - this means the ability to pay is not a consideration during the application review.
MIT doesn’t offer scholarships in the traditional sense. Instead, they calculate a family’s "student’s aid index" based on the financial information provided during the application process. They then cover the costs above this amount through a combination of work-study expectations, student self help and grants which come from a variety of sources including federal and state aid, and MIT's own endowed funds.
However, to be eligible for MIT’s need-based financial aid, you should be aware that there’s a requirement to apply for aid at the same time you apply for admission. Failing to do this might result in a reduced aid package. Everyone who applies and shows any financial need is awarded financial aid. Most of this aid comes from MIT, the U.S. federal government, and state governments.
About 90% of MIT undergraduates receive some sort of financial aid, and the average grant awarded by MIT (calculated to cover what your family's aid index doesn't) was around $53,450 for the 2020-2021 academic year.
On the other hand, full rides – where everything is covered by the institution, including tuition, room, board, meals, and expenses - are quite rare at most institutions and is also the case at MIT. MIT does ensure, however, that tuition is fully covered for families making under $90,000 per year.
As the scholarships are need-based and MIT is need-blind, there is no precise measure of how "competitive" the scholarships are. If you demonstrate financial need and are admitted, you will be offered a financial aid package that makes attending possible.
So, while there might not be a traditional full scholarship in the sense of merit-based awards, MIT works diligently to ensure that every admitted student, including international ones, can afford to attend.
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